NRMCA and Wildlife Habitat
Council: Partnership for Sustainability program has developed tools to implement habitat &
biodiversity projects at ready mixed concrete plants.

The Wildlife Habitat Council
(WHC) is an independent, nonprofit assemblage of corporations,
conservation organizations, and individuals dedicated to protecting and
enhancing wildlife habitat. WHC strives to promote responsible
environmental stewardship within corporate culture and also works to
broaden the understanding of wildlife values through partnerships.

Founded in 1930, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA)
is the leading industry advocate. Its mission is to provide exceptional value
for members by responsibly representing and serving the entire ready mixed
concrete industry. Both organizations are proud of the partnership promoting
habitat enhancement and biodiversity initiatives at ready mixed concrete
production facilities. The expertise brought to this collaboration will allow
ready mixed concrete production facilities to demonstrate environmental
stewardship and obtain recognition for voluntary initiatives.

WHC and NRMCA signed a Memorandum of Understanding in an effort
to work jointly with ready mixed concrete production facilities to aid in the
development of sustainable environmental initiatives at their facilities.
Typically small in size, production facilities do not have expansive tracks of
land to dedicate to conservation. In the larger picture however, every
initiative benefiting habitat and wildlife has value. It can represent a
stopover for migratory birds, a food source for pollinators, an opportunity to
increase diversity. Therefore, a unique approach to serving the specific needs
and potential of ready mixed concrete production facilities was created. WHC
developed a biodiversity toolkit specifically designed for the ready mixed
concrete industry to engage in habitat projects and further their sustainability
mission.

Biodiversity Toolkit

The toolkit developed provides contextual
information and detailed how-to instructions needed to implement voluntary
biodiversity projects at Ready Mixed Concrete production facilities. This
toolkit is designed to introduce employees to potential projects and the
benefits they can bring to the production facilities as well as the environment.
When prepared for a partner, the biodiversity toolkit includes a brochure
presenting standard habitat enhancement recommendations chosen to fit the
industry and the typical plant landscape.

Several supporting documents are also provided as part of the
biodiversity toolkit. These include native species lists, technical references,
links to priority actions in the state, potential partner contact, wildlife
management plan templates, sample monitoring logs and certification information.
WHC’s goal is to provide the production facilities with all the information they
need to be able to readily pursue one or more of these projects and initiate a
strong program.

How to Get Started

The biodiversity toolkit and associated voluntary habitat
projects are part of WHC’s Wildlife at Worksm program. Under the program,
valuable habitat projects going above and beyond mitigation and regulation are
eligible for certification. Certification requirements are detailed in the
biodiversity toolkit and can also be found on WHC’s website at
www.wildlifehc.org. Productions
facilities initiating projects, participating in the program and/or pursing
certification can also obtain points under the NRMCA Sustainable Plant Guideline
system. Actions and values are presented in the official documentation available
through NRMCA. WHC strongly encourages corporate strategies to be set as part of
an integrated approach to sustainability. Several projects are compatible with
operations and still represent opportunities for employee and community
involvement. If the program is undertaken at the site level, the following are
typical steps to plan for: